Overview of the Simple text field
The Simple text field lets you enter short text in a form. It belongs to the Input category, along with Digital integer, Digital decimal, Email, Telephone, URL and Serial number. These seven fields work on the same principle: what sets them apart is their Input type, here set to Text.
ℹ️ Good to know
In the old interface, these seven fields corresponded to a single field, the Input field.
Adding the field to a form
On the form creation screen, whether the form is new or existing, the field catalog on the left groups the fields into nine categories. Only one category is open at a time: click its name to open it. The Simple text field is in the Input category, in first position. Hovering over a field displays a short description.
There are three ways to add the field:
Click Simple text: the field is inserted just after the selected field. If no field is selected, it is added at the end of the form.
Drag and drop it from the catalog to the desired location. While you drag, the insertion areas are shown with a dotted outline.
The + button that appears below the hovered or selected field: it opens a menu with a search bar to insert a field at that exact spot.
As soon as the field is added, its title switches to edit mode: type its name and confirm with the Enter key. To rename it later, double-click its name. The mobile Preview updates with every change.
Accessing the field options
In the editing area, double-click the field or click the pencil icon (Edit). The options are displayed in place of the form, as cards.
They appear in this order: Essentials, Input options, Input format, Visibility conditions, Display & layout and Advanced, followed by the Technical identifier.
There is no confirmation button: each setting is applied immediately, and ✓ Modified is displayed after each change. To move around the options:
Undo (the arrow at the top) or Ctrl+Z: goes back one step.
↑ and ↓ in the header: move to the previous or next field without returning to the form.
Back (the arrow at the top left): closes the options and returns to the form.
ℹ️ Good to know
Only the Save button saves the form permanently. Until you save, nothing is sent to mobile devices.
While the options are open, the catalog is greyed out. Close them to add a new field.
Essentials
This card contains the basic settings of the field.
Field title: by default, it is the name of the field type ("Simple text"), but you can change it.
Required entry: when this option is enabled, the user must fill in the field before submitting the form. The asterisk shown next to the field title, in the editing area, also lets you enable or disable it.
Help text shown on mobile: enter an instruction for your users. It is displayed in the mobile app during data entry.
Input options
Input type: it is set to Text. It can still be changed afterwards: you can replace it with Digital integer, Digital decimal, Telephone, Email, URL or Serial number. The options in the cards depend on the selected type: numeric types, for example, offer a Minimum and a Maximum. Changing the input type does not change the field's tag.
Default value: enter the text that should appear in the field when the form opens. By default, the field is empty ("None").
List link: link the field to a list to suggest entries during data entry and pre-fill data. Keep No list for free entry.
Input format
This card lets you format the entered text and control its format.
Automatic formatting: the text is transformed as it is typed.
Four options are available:
None: the text stays as entered.
ALL UPPERCASE: all letters are converted to uppercase.
Capital At Each Word: each word starts with a capital letter.
Capital at the start of sentences: only the first letter of the sentence is capitalised.
Three modes then define the constraint applied to the entry:
Free input: no input constraint.
Simple formatting: the format is defined by a mask in which N stands for a digit and A for a letter; anything else is taken literally.
For example, the mask
AA-NNN-AAaccepts the valueAB-123-CD. Enter the mask in the Enforced format field.A built-in tester lets you check that a test value matches the format, and the Message if the format is not respected field lets you customise the message shown to the user.
Expert mode: the format is defined with a full regular expression (regex).
Visibility conditions
Three modes are available:
Always visible: the field always appears when entering data.
Visible if…: the field is displayed only when the conditions you define are met.
Always hidden: the field is never displayed during data entry, but remains usable in exports.
For details on setting up conditions, see the Visibility conditions tutorial.
Display & layout
This card customises how the field is displayed in the mobile app.
Title colour: choose from the colours offered. The first option, crossed out, means no colour.
Field title size: move the slider between Aa (smaller) and Aa (larger). The preview shows the resulting size in pixels (11 px by default). It applies to the font of the title shown on mobile.
On the same line as the previous field: this option places the field next to the previous one.
Advanced
Autocomplete from previous entries: the field suggests values already entered in previous submissions.
Read-only when editing: the field stays visible, but can no longer be edited when the record is reopened for editing.
Personal data (GDPR): this option flags the field as personal data.
Word: remove the line if empty: in a Word export, the paragraph containing the field's tag is removed if the field is empty.
To learn more, see the Block tags and paragraph deletion tutorial.
Technical identifier and tag
Below the advanced options, the Technical identifier field shows the identifier of the field. It is used as-is in calculations and automations.
The tag to use in your custom exports is shown just below: ##simple_text## for example. Clicking the tag copies it.
Tags are always enclosed in two hash signs (##). To customise them to your needs, see the Using tags to customize exports tutorial.
💡 Tip
The technical identifier, and therefore the tag, can only be changed as long as the form has not been saved. It is recommended to customise it before the first save.